Vintage Wharfedale Full range speakers

[Rajiv]

Hi,

I found a pair of Wharfedale Super 12RS DD full range speakers today.

These are from the late 50's early 60's and are the famous RED alnico version.

They are dusty from being in storage for nearly 20+ years.The cones are in good condition,one speakers surround has a tiny pin hole. It should be easy to fix.

They will hopefully end up in cabinets like the ones in the link below sometime in the future. I will probabaly use an Altec 802 for the HF if needed.

Wharfedale Full Range Loudspeakers - Page 2 - diyAudio

Regards
Rajiv

 

[heliumflight]

I can understand your overwhelming emotions for that vintage craving.

--
helium
SB Classic> Beresford DAC 7510 MK4> Lyrita SET 2A3 + PMC TB2/ Vintage highly modified B&W DM4 > Lyrita ICs + Cables => MUSIC

 

[denom]

Hi Rajiv,

Do you have a detecting gadget for Old Hi-Fi Gear???? Man, you truly are the chosen one, pls keep us posted on the developments on these & other future finds

Best Wishes

 

[Rajiv]

Hi,

Do you have a detecting gadget for Old Hi-Fi Gear???? Man, you truly are the chosen one, pls keep us posted on the developments on these & other future finds

No gadget,just been collecting vintage audio stuff for far too long,so have developed contacts who give me leads which I follow up.

I tried out the Wharfedales last night .Just connected them to the amps and an old tape deck to check them out.

Even without a cabinet /baffle they sound great.They are worth spending time /effort on to build better cabinets.

Certainly one of the better full ranges I have heard. In the right cabinets they will embarrass several modern high priced full rangers.

These drivers were built when two legendary speaker designers, G.A.Briggs and Raymond Cooke(KEF founder) were part of the design/product development team at Wharfeadale.

The free air resonance of these drivers is 32 Hz.It is marked on the back of the cone along with the QC inspectors initials.

Regards
Rajiv

 

[GeorgeO]

Wow!Rajiv, I have to make a pilgrimage to Madras to spend some time with you( when convenient) to worship at this altar.

 

[gobble]

I would love to hear these. :clapping:

I think you should consult all the great speaker builders on the forum here to make an outstanding cabinet for these. It will be very interesting!

--G

 

[stevieboy]

Man Rajiv, you certainly have a nose for digging out good ole stuff! All the best for your build!

 

[captrajesh]

Man Rajiv, you certainly have a nose for digging out good ole stuff! All the best for your build!

Many noses, actually speaking.hyeah:

 

[keith_correa]

Grand old 12" monsters! Size does matter :clapping:

Please keep us posted about development on the cabs/baffles.

 

[Rajiv]

Hi,

Wow!Rajiv, I have to make a pilgrimage to Madras to spend some time with you( when convenient) to worship at this altar.

George,your welcome anytime.

I would love to hear these.
I think you should consult all the great speaker builders on the forum here to make an outstanding cabinet for these. It will be very interesting!

Gobble, your welcome too.I have found the original cabinet details for these drivers as designed by the great G.A.Briggs himself. In the interim I will put them in a pair of 6 cu ft Hartley Boffle type cabinets that I have on hand.

All the best for your build!

Thanks Steven.


Regards
Rajiv

 

[Rajiv]

Hi,

The Wharfedale's had been lying unattended for some months now so I decided to rotate them into the system. Brought the big 6 cuft cabinets down from the lift room on the terrace .Boy was my wife

Fitted the Wharfedale's in the cabinets and fired up the system. Instantly I realized that one speaker was distorting and it sounded like a voice coil rub.:sad:

Running some test tones and at the same time gently moving the cone to realign it I figured that the distortion was not a voice coil rub but some vibrating/buzzing as if something had come unglued.

Checked the surround, spider and cone and found them to be OK.Only thing left to check was the joint of the voice coil to the cone. Dreading the worst, I cut open the dust cap, and there lay the fault.

The voice coil former (paper) had become brittle after nearly 50 years and had developed a rip. A trip to Ali on Ritchie St. or Babu in B'lore seemed inevitable.

Before making the trip to the speaker repair guys I decided to try and fix this myself. I cut small strips of masking tape and put it on the former so that it would hold.

I played the test tones thorough the driver and there was no distortion. :yahoo:

I connected the drivers sans cabinets and a pair of Lafayette/Toa HW7 tweeters and ran them for quite a few hours last night.

The Wharfedales sound wonderful .Superb TONE.They are one of the best full range /wide range drivers I have heard.

Forum members are welcome to listen to these wonderful drivers.

Regards
Rajiv

 

[anilva]

Great looking drivers. The Alnicos look pretty heavy. Great find. I am sure they will sound fantastic in a good enclosure.

Cheers

 

[denom]

Hi Rajiv,

Thanks for sharing some more interesting gyaan. Can you also add pics of the cabinets & of the tweeters/wharfies in zoom mode :licklips:

A youtube vid of these playing would be most appreciated for those like me who can't come down to your place for a listen.

Thanks

 

[santhosh]

Rajiv, am glad the problem is now resolved. Would love to hear them next time am in Chennai.

Great looking drivers. The Alnicos look pretty heavy. Great find. I am sure they will sound fantastic in a good enclosure.

Cheers

Anil, love the way your 12" Philips full range Alnicos sound too in open baffle. IMO, they sound better than the Tone Tubbys in the same OB.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[murali_n]

Hi Rajiv,

I think my visit to your place is long overdue. :licklips:

N.Murali

 

[captrajesh]

The Wharfedales sound wonderful .Superb TONE.They are one of the best full range /wide range drivers I have heard.

Forum members are welcome to listen to these wonderful drivers.

Yesterday me, Srinisundar and my friend Sashi Kumar visited Rajiv's place for some tube rolling.

At the end of the session, my friend noticed some old big drivers lying in a corner and queried as what those old drivers were.

"Oh! those are some old Wharfdale full rangers" replied Rajiv. We insisted that we listen to them.

Rajiv placed the drivers on the floor facing us and connected to his setup.

We were playing 'Sehnai of Bismillah Khan' at that time. When the music started, we were completely taken aback when Bismillah Khan suddenly sprung to life in front of us. Sashi just could not contain his excitement and howled loudly. Such was the realism in music produced by those 60+ year drivers lying on the floor.

I wish Rajiv devotes some time and restore the speakers to their full glory.

 

[Kannan]

Hi Rajiv, congrats. Would love to listen to them on my vintage dynaco preramp/power amp combo which has been gaining dust for sometime now.....it is a devil from the 1969 era...

 

[srinisundar]

Initially Posted transfered to : http://www.hifivision.com/amplifiers/25049-tlc-tube-lovers-club-tube-amp-preamp-phonostage-owners-3.html#post356302

Ending the session is the crown has to be given to Wharfedale Full range speakers and it mesmerize your with an mind blowing clarity with an neat output.. May be as Rajiv suggested the next Audiophile meet can be an theme based meet. Why not an vintage meet?

 

[bcd]

Hi, I found this post while trying to find a 10" Bronze FSB speaker. My dad bought a pair of these speakers in 1957 and had cabinets made specially for them by a friend. They have been working constantly for nearly 55 years, but now one of the drivers has deteriorated and I want to try to replace it or have it repaired. My dad is turning 80 soon and I thought it would be the perfect present for him.
I'd appreciate any help or advice on how to find a replacement. He has removed the damaged speaker and replaced it with something inferior. He can not afford new speakers or a replacement but I'd like to do that for him. He sent the damaged/broken driver to etone sound in Sydney because an audio engineer friend of mine told they could fix it. They didn't - very disappointing. It came back worse. They refunded the repair costs, but now I'm stuck.
If anyone knows a better place to send them (in Australia) I'd pay a lot to restore it to its former glory. I'd definitely consider paying to have one shipped from India or anywhere else as he is very attached to them. He bought them with the money he got when he lost an eye in a work accident. He loves his music.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Rajiv]

Hi,

If anyone knows a better place to send them (in Australia) I'd pay a lot to restore it to its former glory.

These guys come highly recomended by folks on the Tannoy Yahoo group.

Ortofon, Thorens, Scan-Speak, Speaker repairs, Turntable repairs, Vinyl accessories

Regards
Rajiv